Existing comment:
Jackson's Impact
Around you is tangible and dramatic evidence of the impact "Stonewall" Jackson's flank attack had on the Union army. The artillery emplacements (lunettes) in front of you were constructed at a fairly leisurely rate on May 1 and 2, 1863. They face South, toward the expected direction of any Confederate attack.
The lunettes to your left were dug by frantic Union artillerymen during the night of May 2-3, 1863. They face west - in the direction of Jackson's surprise assault against the Union right flank. Few attacks of the war so quickly and thoroughly changed the axis and the course of a battle.
On the morning of May 3, 1863, Union cannon and troops at Fairview came under furious attack. Lee assaulted Fairview from the south, while Jackson's force (now commanded by J.E.B. Stuart) attacked from the west and southwest. For several hours, Fairview became the focal point of the battle as Lee struggled to destroy Hooker's army. |